Cold River - Carla Neggers [39]
She rose and took her teapot and mug to the counter. “I spoke to Ginny Robinson earlier. She wants me to get involved in the local historical society. I think that’d be fun, don’t you? Even if they are just looking for a donation.”
“I’m sure—”
“They say all the right things. I figure it’s a way to be let into the community, assuming we don’t give up and sell this place.” She set the dishes in the porcelain sink; she was still cold. “The Robinsons have invited Sean Cameron to dinner, too.”
“Is that right?” Lowell didn’t meet her eye.
“I wonder if Hannah will be there. I understand that Ginny and Everett have been very good to her over the years. She’s had a considerable amount of help from people in town, but from the way she behaves, you’d think she did everything on her own. Sean seems to look after her.” Vivian walked back across the hardwood floor to the table and picked up her book, standing over her husband. “Do you suppose he’s attracted to her?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“She’s definitely attracted to him. I can see it when he’s at the café. She’s so fetchingly self-conscious, don’t you think?” Vivian didn’t bother to hide her sarcasm.
Lowell stared at the table. “I haven’t noticed.”
“Oh, of course you have, Lowell. Sean’s handsome and rich. He’s a self-made multimillionaire. He’s also skilled in mountain rescue, and he fights wildfires out west. He’s an elite smoke jumper.”
Lowell traced a circle on the table in front of him. “Yes, dear, I know.”
“He has to stay incredibly fit even to work on a voluntary basis.”
“No doubt.”
“Hannah’s pretty, even if she doesn’t know how to dress, and she has grit and intelligence, but she’s also vulnerable. Every man’s fantasy.” Vivian watched Lowell for a reaction. “Men want to take care of her.”
“Is that what you think? I hadn’t noticed.”
Vivian wanted to scream. Just once she’d like to see her husband display some real backbone, but he never would. He’d never stand up to her or anyone else. If Kyle Rigby had decided to cut their throats in the middle of the night, would Lowell have protected her?
What a ridiculous thought. Her husband would have expected her to protect him.
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the sudden image of Lowell cowering at her side in bed. She knew she was being unfair and irrational. He was a good man and a good husband. He was sophisticated, civilized and decent. She’d never have been happy with someone like Bowie O’Rourke or A.J. or Elijah Cameron.
But Sean Cameron?
Vivian shook off the thought. She accepted that she was drawn to him because of the vulnerability she’d been feeling since November. It was understandable, even inevitable. She wasn’t as happy about being in Vermont as she had been before Alex Bruni’s death. She had to admit she’d enjoyed the prestige of being friends with an intelligent, respected ambassador more than she’d liked Alex himself. He could be abrasive and arrogant. He hadn’t been one to suffer fools gladly. Nonetheless, he hadn’t deserved to be deliberately run over and killed.
When his stepdaughter had dropped out of college and wanted to move to Black Falls, Alex had hinted that he’d appreciate any help Vivian and Lowell could offer. They’d invited Nora to stay at an apartment in their guesthouse. Lowell would have let her stay with no strings attached, but Vivian had insisted the teenager do odd jobs around the property and run errands, if not pay rent. It would be good for her character. Nothing in this life was free, was it?
Vivian couldn’t stand the terror that suddenly gripped her. Tea, a book—distractions hadn’t worked to calm her. “I want the police to find their bomb-maker and be done with this,” she said under her breath.
“I know, Vivian,” Lowell said. “We all do.”
“The Camerons won’t rest until they have the answers to every last question they have about who hired these killers, who else they killed, who else might be out there—additional killers, potential victims. Jo Harper, either. She’s as driven as the Camerons are.”
“Given what they’ve all been through, one can see